Choosing the right company for your carbon offsets

by Katie Hammel on

According to Carbonfund, with the amount of flying I do annually, I “produce” about 21,000 pounds of CO2 per year. If I want to make up for the environmental damage I’ve done, I can pay $125 to offset my carbon contribution.

But what does that really mean? How can paying $125 make the air cleaner or the ozone layer stronger? Where does that $125 go? Am I just paying to make myself feel better?

Well, as I’m learning, it all depends on which company you choose. Some seem to be more transparent than others about where your money goes, and some seem to offer more assurance in the way of third-party auditing. Two that I have found that seem to be among the most reputable are Carbonfund.org and TerraPass. Both take the money you pay for your carbon offsets and invest it into projects that help reduce pollution, produce clean air and alternative sources of energy, and reduce the effects of carbon-producing technology.

Carbonfund, the company your money will go to if you choose to buy offsets for your next Virgin America flight, contributes to three major undertakings: renewable energy and methane projects, energy efficiency and carbon credits, and reforestation and avoided deforestation projects. According to their website, each project is audited and certified by a third party. The money they receive goes to projects that help offset the damage being done not just from planes, but from all the other carbon-producing technology we use on a daily basis – trains, buses, cars, and home appliances.

With Carbonfund, you can pay for all your environmental sins at once, or calculate more precisely based on a single flight. They also seem to offer very affordable options. If 20 or so flights per year and 12 months of living in a small apartment and riding the city buses and trains only costs me $125, I’m betting a single flight can’t be over $20.

Some of the projects to which Carbonfund contributes include those that: reduce the emissions produced by large transport trucks while they idle at rest stops, protect tropical rainforest land, restore hardwood forests, generate clean electricity from farm waste, and destroy methane produced by landfills.

TerraPass, the offset option offered by Expedia, funds some similar projects. Their big three are wind energy, farm power, and landfill gas capture. Like Carbonfund, their programs are audited and verified by a third party. When you register your flight, your life, your wedding (yes, weddings leave a very large carbon footprint) or your business, you’ll get a total price and also see where that money will be spent and how it will help offset the emissions you have produced. TerraPass seems to be a bit more expensive for me though. It cost more like $150 to combat my yearly output and a single flight (Chicago to CapeTown) was nearly $50. I did, however, really like that they had a comprehensive report published on their website, which listed how much carbon each project reduced over the course of a year.

I also appreciated that both websites make it a point to say that purchasing carbon offsets doesn’t give you a free pass to live a wasteful live. Both promote that, in addition to buying carbon offsets, you should also strive to reduce your carbon footprint by using less electricity, taking public transportation, flying direct when possible, and using alternative sources of energy when you can.

Whether you go with one of these two companies or another, be sure that it is independently audited and verified and that it offers information on where and how your money will be spent. While you can’t chose a specific project, you can often choose what type of project your money funds. Choosing a company that is audited by a third party helps you be sure that your money is going where you think it is, and ensures that companies aren’t selling the same offset credits more than once.

In an age where we seem to be nickle-and-dimed to death by the airlines, it’s difficult to think of voluntarily coughing up another $10-$50 per flight. But this money isn’t going to the airlines. It’s not lining the pockets of some corporate honchos. When invested correctly, it seems it really can make a difference in the fight against climate change.

How Virgin America does “green” – in a big way

by Scott Carmichael on

It isn’t easy being eco friendly as an airline. The basic principle of what you do involves something that is relatively unfriendly to the planet. That said, when you start an airline from the ground up (like Virgin America had to do), there are steps you can take to become environmentally friendly.

Here are some of the measures Virgin America put in place to become one of the most environmentally friendly airlines in the world:

The airline operates a brand new fleet of aircraft that operate up to 25% more efficiently than other domestic fleets. During ground taxiing, their aircraft use a single engine.

In January 2009, Virgin America became the first airline in the U.S. to allow customers to purchase carbon offsets through Carbonfund.org. These offsets can be purchased through RED, their award winning in-flight entertainment system. The airline also offsets the carbon footprint of their headquarters through Carbonfund.org sourced projects in California. All their measures, and a comprehensive overview of exact emissions are published yearly in their Annual Climate Report.

Virgin America is affiliated with the Virgin Group, who are investing all their transport related profits in renewable fuels research. Last year, a Virgin Atlantic jet took a test flight powered by a coconut bio-fuel blend.

Of course, at the end of the day, they still operate an airline, and until planes burn non polluting fuels, there will always be emissions, but the measures taken by Virgin America are far more impacting than any other airline.

Want to win tickets on a Virgin America flight? Head on over to our 5th anniversary giveaway for your chance to win two tickets to anywhere Virgin America flies!

Where to research and book eco-friendly travel

by Scott Carmichael on

There is no denying that eco friendly travel is “in”. As more and more travelers become aware of their own carbon footprint, many of us are also becoming more active in reducing our impact.

This could be as simple as paying a little extra for a green certified hotel, or paying to offset the emissions from a flight. The Internet is full of fantastic resources for anyone looking to research and/or book an eco friendly trip. We’ve listed a couple of these resources here:

Gadling – We’ll start with ourselves – we’ve covered eco tourism for years, and in our archives, you’ll find 100’s of great articles on green travel.
Expedia – Expedia has an entire section of their site devoted to going green. They provide a list of green hotels, tips on reducing your carbon footprint and a special booking tool for finding hybrid rental cars.

Orbitz – The Orbitz Eco-Tourism site is one of the most comprehensive of all the travel booking sites. Their section offers everything from carbon offset purchases to a list of EPA Energy Star rated hotels. These hotels use at least 40% less electricity. The site also links to hybrid rentals, and even explains how you can volunteer to clean up a national park, or help protect the ocean.

Travelocity – The Travelocity Green Directory is another great initiative. On this guide, you’ll find links to green hotels, eco-friendly partners and a focus on green destinations. Their green hotel list is compiled through information from the EPA’s Energy Star, the Rainforest Alliance and Green Key.

EcoTravelLogue – EcoTravelLogue is a member of the Bootsnall network. This site does not appear to be updated very regularly, but it contains a huge amount of eco-friendly travel resources.

The Travel Channel – The Travel Channel Eco-Friendly resources are still quite limited – and only cover a limited number of eco-friendly resorts and hotels. The site links to most of the eco related content covered by the Travel Channel.

Manaca – Manaca is a travel agency that specializes in eco friendly trips. They sell trips to eco lodges, and complete eco friendly packages all around the world.

SustainableTravel – Sustainable Travel International is an organization supported by many of the major travel companies in the world. Behind this organization are airlines like Continental and United, a cruise line, a car rental company and various hotel chains. Their site offers a huge amount of information on eco-travel, as well as a searchable directory of eco-friendly providers.

Got a good eco-friendly travel site you’d like to mention? Leave it in the comments section below!

Furnace 508 endurance cycling race starts tomorrow

by Kraig Becker on

Tomorrow morning one of the most challenging cycling events anywhere on the planet will get underway from Santa Clarita, California. Two hundred riders will set out to compete in the Furnace 508, a race that is billed as “the toughest 48 hours in sports”, and is known for pushing its competitors to the limits of their physical and mental endurance.

The 508 mile course runs from Santa Clarita to Twentynine Palms, crossing through the Mojave Desert and Death Valley in the process. The riders will be tested by ten mountain passes, offering up more than 35,000 feet of elevation gain over the length of the course. And when they’re not dealing with the cool mountain temperatures, they’ll be getting baked by the desert heat.

Competitors can ride the race in three categories, solo, and two- or four-person relays. Solo riders obviously ride the entire 508 miles by themselves, while the relay teams break down the course into two and four segments of equal length, with each rider taking a segment. Last year, the first solo rider to cross the finish line was Michael Emde, who completed the course in just 27 hours and 28 minutes.

The organizers of the race are also committed to being eco-friendly, and have advised the athletes on how to be on a “green team“. The list of suggestions for the racers to limit their impact on the environment includes using hybrid team cars, eating fruits and vegetables that are purchased locally, and using five gallon jugs of water to refill their bottles. The hope is to have a challenging and amazing race while leaving no trace of their passing.

For more on the race, check out the official website, where you’ll find info on the course, the official rules, and more, including the always amusing tall tales from previous races.

Maldives President proposes green tax for tourists

by Katie Hammel on

The Maldives, an archipelago of over 1000 islands in the Indian Ocean known for their stunning beauty and expensive, luxurious resorts, aren’t exactly cheap to visit. And they aren’t about to get any cheaper. The President of the Maldives has proposed a $3 per day “green tax” on tourists.

The tax would help fund the President’s plans for fighting climate change and for making the Maldives a carbon-neutral country within the next decade. He has a vested interest in stopping global warming – the Maldives are the lowest-lying islands on the planet, with an average elevation of only 7 feet above sea level, and it is estimated that they could be completely submerged by rising sea levels within the next ten years.

With an average of 700,000 visitors, who each stay around three days, visiting the Maldives annually, the tax could provide the country with over $6 million per year for environmental initiatives. With most resorts in the Maldives costing $500 (or much more) per night, $3 per person, per day is a small price to pay to help protect this vulnerable country from the dangers of climate change.